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"This question does not appear to seek input and discussion from the community. If you have encountered a problem on one of our sites, please describe it in detail. See also: What is "meta"? How does it work?" – animuson

@Jon: I've gotten good at spotting your style...you're gonna have to change it up...
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IAbstractMar 19 '10 at 12:23

I've considered this a few times since a lot of people complain that it's harder to get rep now than it was when the site started (and I've always contended that a good programmer need only spend 1-2 hours a day to hit the cap). But then I risk getting addicted to SO again...
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Adam DavisMar 19 '10 at 12:46

1

If you don't use that account to upvote yours, is it still a sockpuppet account? I think it would make a good experiment if you did what you said
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juanformosoMar 19 '10 at 12:58

17

You can borrow my account if you like.
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user27414Mar 19 '10 at 13:06

2

I have thought of variation on this. Take Jon and someone else. Find some questions that both could be expected to answer. Get their answers and then randomly assign them to each user (and possibly a new user), post these answers and see which ones get the most up-votes. If the name does affect the votes we should see the ones posted under "Jon" being up-voted more than the other user (or the new user).
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ChrisFMar 19 '10 at 13:41

@Pollyanna: Yep, there's nothing to refuel an addiction like adding alt characters in a game. Personally, I'm not sure it's any harder to get rep, but I think it may be harder to get badges like "Great Question" or "Great Answer".
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David ThornleyMar 19 '10 at 13:44

SO you shouldnt have a problem - SU a little harder. - META would be the most difficult.
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LocutusMar 19 '10 at 13:55

Yeah. And the tell-tale signs aren't pretty. I don't remember much about the last few years, but friends have posted pictures of me doing rep off of dead rental laptops in dark alleys. shudder It's a long, slow climb, but I'm improving each day.
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Adam DavisMar 19 '10 at 4:15

3

It must have been quite disturbing waking up one day with your hand shoved up a pony's arse.
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squillmanMar 19 '10 at 4:18

2

@Pollyanna: I think the best way to break the addiction would be to get involved in some form of charity. For example to help you give up rep, we could split all Jon Skeet's points between every user on the site.
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DexterMar 19 '10 at 4:28